A review by ed_moore
Siddhartha by Hermann Hesse

emotional hopeful inspiring reflective relaxing slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

This was so so so unbelievably good. I don’t know why nor how but Hesse’s ‘Siddhartha’ absolutely broke me, especially in its conclusion. It is a bildungsroman tale of a young man in India 600 years before the birth of Christ, and his gaining of a Buddhist faith, the loss of that faith and the rediscovery of it again. It is a quaint tale of a quest for enlightenment which explores what it means to be human in so many degrees and in such a profound way. I really didn’t expect much from this book when I started it but it absolutely blew me away. 

Hesse’s writing is so well done and encapsulates so much emotion, and though by no means religious myself it was such a hopeful and sweet story that brought me so much joy and pushed so much good. The amount covered in the short length and character development was brilliant, and there are dark sections and triggers but despite this it still felt completely pure, and these elements had such crucial purposes. Not to mention the narrator of the audiobook I listened to, James Langton, pronounced the name ‘Siddhartha’ in such a satisfying way. 

The ending really struck me and significantly jumped up my rating too. I don’t know what it was about ti but the description was beautiful and profound, and the story feeling so complete, that it really had an effect on me. I was listening to final chapter just in complete awe at how amazingly written a work of literature it was. I am so surprised how much I enjoyed this book as it really isn’t typically my sort of interests but it was so brilliant. I absolutely adored it.

Om.
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